Friday, July 31, 2015

When taking on the topic of
personal finance, I love hearing the stories where that voice speaks to you
from the heart and leads you on the path of happy and home. We made a visit
today to Belle Chèvre in Elkmont, Alabama and met the
charismatic and delightful owner, Ms. Tasia Malakasis(Chief Cheese
Officer). I first learned about this impressive lady in perusing old
publications of Organic Gardening. She left a very
successful and financially rewarding career in Internet technologies to venture
back to her roots and become a queen in the world of award-winning cheese
making. Since that article, she has appeared in countless magazines, news
shows, and newspapers and now author of two culinary books.

Her list of accomplishments are
impressive but upon meeting with her in person, I found that gold nugget I love
most that I see in those who pursue their passion -that positive and happy
energy that radiates from inside them and just makes them glow.

She discovered her culinary
passions by taking non-credit courses at the Culinary Institute of America
while on a sabbatical from her corporate career. This led her to her discovery
of Belle Chèvre cheese. She eventually left New York City, a big pay
check, and the stress of corporate life to volunteer at Bell Chèvre and learned
the art of cheese making. After 6 months, she purchased Belle Chèvre, has
grown the company considerably, increasing the product portfolio,
sales and distribution to many national retail stores.